28 August 2018 | Electric Trucks Are Happening Faster Than You Think, Nissan Sylphy Production Starts and Electric Caravans Are Coming

Well good morning, good afternoon and good evening, wherever you are in the world, hello and welcome to the Tuesday 28th August edition of EV News Daily. It’s Martyn Lee here with the news you need to know about electric cars and the move towards sustainable transport.

Thank you to MYEV.com for helping make this show, they’ve built the first marketplace specifically for Electric Vehicles. It’s a totally free marketplace that simplifies the buying and selling process, and help you learn about EVs along the way too.

COURT CONSIDERS JAIL FOR BAVARIAN OFFICIALS OVER AIR POLLUTION

“A German newspaper reports judges are considering jailing senior Bavarian officials for failing to take action against air pollution in Munich, home to automaker BMW.” according to a Bloomberg report: “Daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported Monday that the south German state’s administrative court believes jailing officials may be the most effective way of forcing the Bavarian government to enforce emissions cutting measures. Munich topped the ranks of 65 German cities that exceeded levels of harmful particles last year. Bavarian officials have refused to impose measures in the state capital — such as limited bans on driving diesel vehicles — despite heavy fines.”

Analysts at Baird said the U-Turn is good news in the long run. At the time of recording, shares of Tesla were down around 1.5%.

Baird Analysts said: “”We are buyers on weakness as we expect shares to move higher ahead of Q3 deliveries and results. Tesla has averaged nearly 1,500 VIN (vehicle identification number) registrations per day so far in August, which is an imperfect, but directional way to track production. We believe progress on the Model 3 production ramp could be a significant positive catalyst for the stock,” they added.”

One of the most intriguing stories today was that Elon Musk decided to keep Tesla public when Volksvagen emerged as a frontrunner to invest in the new, privately owned Tesla.

InsideEVs said: “An article in the Wall Street Journal claims that Volkswagen was among those interested in a piece of the private-Tesla action, though. No mention was made regarding the size of the stake they had wanted, but there is a good chance it was a big enough piece to give it some amount of voice in the affairs of Tesla going forward. According to the report, Musk was “deeply suspicious of rival car companies, believing they wanted to piggyback on what he called the “Tesla halo”.”

Meanwhile Electrek say a source has told them 47,000 vehicles have been produced in Q3 which puts them on target for 70,000 by the end of the quarter in September. Last quarter they hit a new record which was 53,339.

Also interesting, as an aside, Fred says he’s seen some weekly production numbers, and in relation to the Bloomberg tracker he pretty much discredits it’s accuracy. Based on the numbers he’s referring to.

“The Nissan Sylphy Zero Emission, the first Nissan electric car made for China, has begun rolling off the production line.

The start of production by Dongfeng Nissan Passenger Vehicle Co. (Dongfeng Nissan), Nissan’s joint venture with Dongfeng Motor Group Co., Ltd., coincides with another milestone: The companies have built 10 million vehicles in China since they started operations.

The model was developed based on the platform of the world’s best-selling electric vehicle, the Nissan LEAF, and the best-selling Nissan sedan in China, the Sylphy. It’s being built at Dongfeng Nissan’s Huadu plant.”

The South Korean company said it will start the sales of the Kinergy AS EV tires, which use low resistance rubbers made for EVs, starting in September. The tires produce less drag than conventional treads, which is important for fuel economy. The new tires also make minimal road noise.

The company added that it applied an aramid hybrid material for durability, claiming the new tires reduce wear to the treads.

The latest product makes use of various compounds such as vegetable oil and helps drivers’ maintain control of the vehicle in adverse weather conditions. They are well suited to applying maximum breaks, the tiremaker said.

“Electric trucks will come – and fast. More and more studies show that they are not only feasible to build, but also profitable to operate” reports Euractiv: ” In the last 12 months not only Daimler but nearly all major European truckmakers including Volvo-Renault, MAN and DAF have announced production and sales of electric trucks for the coming years. Battery prices are falling faster than ever before; electric drivetrains are much more efficient than the outdated diesel technology; and 65% of the trips by trucks in Europe are less than 500 km, which means there is no need to have the same range as a long-haul diesel truck for most journeys. Trucks account for 22% of vehicle emissions while making up less than 5% of the vehicles on the road.”

“The Ellesmere Port car factory could become the production centre for Vauxhall electric cars, saving a thousand jobs and perhaps creating hundreds more. The Peugeot and Citroen giant Groupe PSA is to announce a step up in its electrification plans before the Paris motor show at the end of September.” reports Robert Lea for The Times: “PSA is planning a range of Vauxhalls to be built on the same assembly technology as Peugeot and Citroen models”

Two stories I’ve seen over the weekend about electric camping. Firstly, a trailer, or what we’d call a caravan.

What has an 80 kWh battery capacity, and two electric motors with 40 kW each? Answer: a Dethleffs e.home coco, unveiled at the Caravan Salon in Düsseldorf.

“The benefits of the electric drive and the storage are varied and begins on the descent: cars with a low towing capacity can pull a heavy caravan with this support. The driven axle of the e.home coco can minimize the required trailer load.”

“At the campsite, the user has automatically a marshalling, also known as movers. Once the parking space has been reached and the e.home coco is connected to the grid, the power is supplied completely via electricity. At least in the solar half-year that should be okay even with the heating, and on the humidity entry by the cooking with gas everyone can do without well.”

“After the trip, for example on the carport next to the detached house, the battery from the supplier Akasol can also be used as a buffer storage. For example, for the electricity from its own photovoltaic system – this could reduce the high system costs.”

Also at Dusseldorf, the Mercedes, “fuel cell technology is promoted in the Concept Sprinter F-CELL, which uses Mercedes-Benz’s 147 kW/350 N.m battery-electric and fuel cell powertrain, giving it a total range of 530 km. The van is fitted with three tanks placed on the underbody and is able to hold 4,5 kg of hydrogen. That’s enough to cover the Sprinter F-CELL for 300 km. A fourth tank resides in the rear to extend the range to around 500 km. A plug-in hybrid battery takes care of the final 30 km.”

How much do you spend on charging your EV at home? Has it made a large difference to you household bills?

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